Hospital bed



A. M DONALD HOSPITAL BED Filed July 26, 1923 fili'ar'y supportingPatented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES P'l'hl'i OFFICE.

ANGUS MAODONALID, 01E MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

HOSPITAL BED.

App1icati0n filled July 26, 1923. Serial No. 653,885.

I 0 all whom- It may concern.

Be it known that I, ANGUS MACDONALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and State fhosp tal bed,and including an auxiliary inattress-sup'porting spring bottom, adaptedto lie flat on and supplement the mattresssupporting action of theprimary spring bottom of an ordinary bed, when the mattress is tobesupported horizontally, and to be adjusted at an angle to the primarybottom to support a portion of the mattress in an inclined position. I

One object ofthe invention is to provide a mattress-adjusting meanscomposed of a plurality of sections, each adapted to support a differentportion of a mattress, the sections being adapted to be differentlyinclined and impart to the mattress a form ap proximating that of areclining chair, without interposing anything rigid or unyieldingbetween the mattress and the primary spring'bottom. Another object is toprovide simple, c011- venient, and relatively inexpensive manuallyoperable means for adjusting an auxiliary mattress-supporting section orsections, and holding the same at various inclinations. ll attain theabove-mentioned and other related objects by the improved constructionhereinafter described and claimed.

' Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,-Figure 1 is aside elevation, showing an ordinaryhospita'l bed includingthe usual primary spring bottom and auxiliary mattress supp orting andadjusting means embodyingthe'invention, '3 3 Eig ure'Q isa section online 2-2 of Figurel. i 4

Figure3is a of Figure 1.

" Figure/S4, 5 and 6 are perspective views, showing separately thesections of the auxand adjusting means partial section on line 33 shownFigure 1.

'Flgures 7 and 8 are perspective views. re

spectively, of one of the nut-operated links hereinafter described, andof the nut with which the link is engaged.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

a designates the head portion, 7) the foot portion, and c thelongitudinal side bars comprising the chief portions of the frai'nc ofan ordinary hospital bed. d designates the usual horizontal springbottom supported higher than the side bars, and sup porting themattress. i

A complete auxiliary mattress-supporting and adjusting means in which myinvention is embodied, includes a plurality of sections,

each comprising a spring bottom adapted'to lie flat on the primarybottom (Z and supplement the mattress supporting action there of, and tobe inclined relative to the primary bottom, the sections being adaptedto be differently inclined, so that the mattress v may be supportedthereby in approximately the form of a reclining chair, as shown bydotted lines in Figure 1.

The sections include a head end section. preferably composed of avthree-sided rigid frame portion12, and a spring bottom 13, supported bythe frame, a foot end section.

preferably composed of a three-sided rigid frame portion 14, and aspring bottom 15 supported by the frame, and an intermediate section,preferably composed of spaced apart rigid portions 16, 16, jointed at 17to the ends of the frame 141, and a spring bottom 18, extending betweenthe rigid portions.

Each of the head and foot end sections is rigid at three edges, andresilient at the fourth edge. -The intermediate section is rigid at twoopposite edges and resilient at the other two edges. When the sectionslie flat on the primary bottomd, the rigid portions of the sections areoutside the area which supports the mattress, so that the sections haveno rigid portions immediately under the mattress.- The springbottoms'13, 15 and 18 ofthe sections, therefore supplement themattress-supporting action of the primary bottom, withoutopposing theyieldof a metal strip or yoke 20, bent to bestride a bar 0, and a bolt21 passing through the arms of the strip above the bar, and bearing onthe upper side thereof. Each bracket projects above the bar to which itis attached. The brackets of each pair are spaced from those of theother pair as shown by Figure 1. The brackets of one pair are pivoted at22 to the ends of the frame 12 of the head end section. The brackets ofthe other pair are pivoted at 23 to the rigid portions 1b of theintermediate section.

When the intermediate section is inclined the foot section is raised, asshown by dotted lines in Figure l, by the intermediate sec tion and bylinks 24;, connected by pivots 25 to the side bars 0, and by studs 26 toone end of the foot section. The pivots 25 may be formed on sleeves 2.adapted to be detachably clamped on the side bars a. The arrangement issuch that the foot end sec tion, which is horizontal when lowered,assumes a gentle inclination in rising, its higher end being raised morethan its lower end.

To adjust the sections I provide manually operable mechanism, preferablyorganized as next described.

Fixed to and projecting downward from the side bars 0, are two pairs ofbearing brackets, each composed of a metal strip or yoke 28, bent tobestride a bar 0, and a bolt 29 passing through the arms of the stripbelow the bar. In the brackets of each pair is journaled a transverseshaft 30, having oppositely. threaded end portions, as shown by Figure2, and squared ends adapted to be engaged and rotated by a crank 81.With the threaded portions of the shaft 30 are engaged nuts 32 which aremoved simultaneously in opposite directions on the shaft when the latteris rotated. The nuts on the shaft 30, nearest the head end, areconnected by links 33 with eyes or hooks 34 on the frame 12 of the headend section. The nuts on the shaft nearest the foot end are connected bysimilar links 33 with eyes or hooks 35, on the frame of the foot endsection.

.It will nowbe seen that the head end section may be adjusted byrotating one of the shafts 30, and held at adjustment by that shaft, thenuts 32, and the links 33. The foot end and intermediate sections may beadjusted .by rotating the other shaft 30,

and similarly held at any adjustment. The

links 33 are preferably bifurcated and curved, as shown by Figure 7, theends of their bifurcations engaging studs 37 on the nuts 32. Thecurvature of the links is such that they are adapted to extend and moveacross the opposite longitudinal edges of the primary spring bottom (5,without touching the same when the nuts are moved outward, as indicatedby dotted lines in Figure 2.

It is obvious that the head end section and its adjusting means may beused without the other sections, and that the foot end and intermediatesections, and the adjusting means therefor, may be used in a bed havinga head end section and adjusting means therefor differently organized.

The spacing of one pair of hinge ljurackets 20 from the other pair issuch that the primary spring bottom cl has an interlying portion betweenthe pairs, forming a yielding support between the head end section andthe intern'icdiate section, for the hips of the occupant of the bed.

It will be seen that the application of the described auxiliarymechanism to an ordinary hospital bed does not require :uilaplation oralteration of the bed frame, the brackets 20 and28, and thepivot-supporting sleeves being adapted to be clamped detachably upon theusual side bars 0.

I claim:

1. The combination with a hospital bed which includes a frame havinglongitudinal side bars and a primary mattress-support- 'ig springbottom, supported higher than the side bars; of auxiliarymattress-support ing and adjusting means comprising two pairs of hingebrackets detaehahly secured to and projecting above. the side bars. thebrackets of one pair being so spaced from those of the other pair thatthe prii'nary spring bottom has an interlying portion between the pairsof brackets, a head and sec: tion adapted to yicldingly support the headend of a mattress and including a. threesided rigid portion jointed toone pair of hinge brackets; a foot end section adapted to j 'ieldinglysupport the foot end portion of the mattress and including a three-sidedrigid portion; an intermediate section adapted to yieldingly support anintermediate portion of the mattress and including two spaced apartrigid portions jointed to the foot end section and to the other pair ofhinge brackets, each of said sections being free from rigid portionsunder a mattress supported thereby; links pivoted to the foot endsection and to the side bars: and manually operable mechanism foradjusting said sections, the arrangement being such that the head, footand intermediate sections may be inclined and held at different anglesto im part a chair-like form to the mattress. and may be adjusted tobear simultaneously on the said primary bottom to supplement the actionof the latter in supporting the mattress horizontally, while the saidinterlying portion forms a fourth section between the head end andintermediate section, for the support of the hips of the occupant of thebed.

2. The combination with a hospital bed which includes a frame havinglongitudinal side bars and a primary mattress-supporting spring bottom,supported higher than the side bars; of auxiliary mattress-supportingand adjusting means comprising two pairs of hinge brackets, detachablysecured to and projecting above the side bars; a head end sectionadapted to yieldingly support the head end portion of a mattress andincluding a three-sided rigid portion jointed to one pair of hingebrackets; a foot end section adapted to yieldingly support the foot endportion of the mattress and including a three-sided rigid portion; anintermediate section adapted to yieldingly support an intermediateportion of the mattress, and including two spaced apart rigid portionsjointed to the foot end section and to the other pair of hinge bracketsabove the side.

bars; links pivoted to and connecting the foot end section and the sidebars; two pairs of bearing brackets detachably secured to and projectingbelow from the side bars; two transverse shafts oppositely screwthreadedand journaled in the bearing brackets below the side bars; nuts engagedwith said shafts and movable simultaneously in opposite directions bythe rotation thereof; a pair of links pivoted to the nuts of the saidshafts and to the head end section; and a pair of links pivoted to thenuts of the other shaft and to the foot end section, the links of eachpair being formed and arranged to extend and move endwise across theopposite longitudinal edges of the pri mary spring bottom.

3. The combination with a hospital bed which includes a frame havinglongitudinal side bars and a primary mattress-supporting spring bottom,supported higher than the side bars; of auxiliary mattress-supportingand adjusting means comprising a pair of hinge brackets detachablysecured to and projecting above the side bars; a foot end sectionadapted to yieldingly support the foot end portion of a mattress andincluding a three-sided rigid portion; an intermediate section adaptedto yieldingly support an intermediate portion of the mattress andincluding two spaced apart rigid portions jointed to the foot endsection and t0 the said hinge brackets above the side bars; linkspivoted to and connecting the foot end section and the side bars; twobearing brackets detachably secured to and projecting below the sidebars; a transverse oppositely threaded shaft journaled in the bearingbrackets below the side bars; two nuts engaged with said shaft andmovable simultaneously in opposite directions by the r0tat-ion thereof;and a pair of links pivoted to said nuts and to the foot end section,said links being formed and arranged to extend and move endwise acrossthe opposite longitudinal edges of the primary spring bottom.

In testimony whereof I have aifixed my signature.

ANGUS MAoDONALD.

